By Ogungbayi Beedee Adeyemi
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Primate Elijah Ayodele, the fiery leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, has vehemently denied extortion allegations leveled against him by Minister of Power Bayo Adelabu, flipping the script to accuse the APC chieftain of desperation in his quest for the 2027 Oyo State governorship.
In a blistering response Friday hours after Adelabu’s petition to the DSS leaked Ayo dele insisted he never demanded ₦150 million, claiming the minister approached him first through emissaries, pleading for “spiritual intercession” to clinch the ticket.
“I didn’t blackmail him. We didn’t have any transaction. No money was exchanged,” Ayodele told reporters at his Oke Afa, Lagos headquarters, flanked by aides and church elders. “Adelabu sent people to me because he was desperate. I told him they won’t give him the ticket, but if he wants it badly, seek God’s mercy by buying 1,000 trumpets not for my church, but for spiritual obedience. He asked for the cost himself; I said verify at the market!”
The cleric, known for his annual “prophecy books” that have “predicted” everything from elections to economic crashes, challenged Adelabu to sue: “He refused, and that was it. My prophecies stand divine, not vengeful.”
Adelabu’s October 13 petition, obtained by media outlets, painted Ayodele as a “self-acclaimed pastor” using “extortive, deceitful” tactics to undermine his reputation. Key demands allegedly include 1,000 trumpets/saxophones: ₦50m (local) to ₦130m (imported Chinese), 24 APC flags and Daily recitals Alam Nashrah 200 times; 1 a.m. vigils.
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Refusal, per the minister, triggered Ayodele’s “false prophecies” in church videos declaring Adelabu’s “mistakes” and gubernatorial doom. Adelabu urged DSS probe, retraction, and apology, warning of “public peace” threats.
Through media aide Osho Oluwatosin, Ayodele detailed text exchanges where Adelabu’s PA and intermediary “pressured” him repeatedly. “I’m blessed already I don’t prophesy for money. For years, I’ve said it takes God’s grace for him to win Oyo,” he added.
Ayodele claimed past unheeded warnings to Adelabu during his CBN days, insisting his prophecies predate any “deal.”
Adelabu, 54, a Tinubu ally eyeing a rematch after 2023’s loss to Governor Seyi Makinde (PDP), has not responded to Ayodele’s rebuttal. His camp calls the petition “self-defense against manipulation.”
The saga spotlights Nigeria’s prophecy-politics nexus, where clerics like Ayodele wield influence over elections. Makinde’s team stayed silent, but analysts predict it could dent APC unity in Oyo.
DSS and police have acknowledged the petitions but offered no timeline for action. Ayodele dared: “Arrest me if you dare truth fears no probe.”
As Oyo’s 2027 contest brews, this “trumpet tempest” blares louder than any spiritual horn.
DDNewsOnline
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